Hot Cross Bun

Today was a hot one!  Almost 100F and Chip was feeling the heat.  Poor little fellow, he was out of his hutch most of the afternoon, sprawled on the family room floor.  At one point I went out to the garden to pick some fresh basil.  When I returned to the kitchen, there was Chip, stretched out in the middle of the kitchen floor like a rabbit skin rug, trying to catch as much cool surface as he could.  His floppy ears were hot so I swabbed them several times with a cool cloth.  It seemed to perk him up temporarily, and he resumed begging for a short time while I prepared dinner, before once again flopping down.  For a rabbit, even the potential for fresh veggies loses its allure when the temperature soars.   

Chip also gets a little grouchy in the heat.   As I swept up around him, he seemed to resent the intrusion of the broom, and summoned enough energy to mount an attack on this bristled creature invading his personal space bubble.  The battle was over before it began however and, crumbs swept, a hot Chip flaked out on the floor, the momentary wave of energy having evaporated.  Super Chip’s nemesis, the broom, will have to wait for a cooler day.   

We ate dinner, fresh Swiss chard from the farmer’s market and potato salad, out in the garden.  A lovely summer breeze accompanied our meal bearing the scent of lemon blossoms and roses.  My daughter let Chip out onto the back steps where he roosted, nose twitching nonstop, enjoying the gentle breeze and the cooler air.  He contented himself with my daughter’s attentions while cooling off before venturing back into the house, his hutch and his rabbit chow waiting and his appetite revived.

It's 4th of July weekend and we hear the occasional pop of a firecracker but the noise doesn't seem to concern Chip too much.  He does want to wish everyoe a safe and happy 4th of July, and he hopes you'll all enjoy grilling fresh veggies and sipping lemonade.  

Cheers from Chip!

Roasted Potato Salad with Fresh Garden Herbs

2 lbs red skinned new potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes washed and sliced into quarters

A good quality extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt & pepper to taste

Fresh herbs of your choice

Placed quartered potatoes in a baking dish.  Drizzle olive oil to coat and mix thoroughly with salt & pepper.  Roast in a 425F oven until tender and light golden brown, but not dried out.

Cool to room temperature and toss with any favorite combination of chopped fresh herbs such as basil, chive, tarragon, rosemary, dill, thyme or parsley and a little more olive oil. 

We like the following combinations but don’t be afraid to experiment & come up with your own! 

·        chopped fresh basil with grated Romano cheese and olive oil

·        chives & dill with a dollop of mayonnaise, mix well to coat potatoes thoroughly

·        tarragon & parsley with olive oil and a dollop of Dijon mustard (you can add a little honey to this too)

·        dried oregano with plain nonfat Greek yogurt, fresh squeezed lemon juice and olive oil; add chopped Kalamato olives for an extra zing!

Rabbit Days

There are days that are busy beyond belief; days when there are not enough minutes in the hour, not enough hours to go around.  Chip does not like these days and neither do I.  I like productive days, days when I feel satisfied and content that I’ve accomplished something but still have time to breathe.  These are the days when Chip spends his mornings contentedly lounging in the morning sun that streams through the back door.  If I am fortunate enough to have time to spend in the garden, he’ll roost in this spot, watching me weed & water, prune & putter.  His nose is a study in perpetual motion as he drinks in the the delicious aromas of rosemary, basil, scented geranium, lemon verbena to name a few that I can actually smell, and most likely many scents we cannot even imagine. Occasionally he’ll even come out for a well-supervised romp to inspect said herbs.  For those of you who contend with wild rabbits eating their way through your garden, you’ll know what I mean when I say “well-supervised”. It would take Chip no time at all to eat through the herb pots on the back porch, or nibble every carrot top in the veggie bed.       

All in all though, in spite of those days when Chip cannot enjoy free reign in the family room & kitchen, life is pretty good for this little guy with a big personality.  He has a double-decker hutch in the family room, with an access door that is more often open than not, fresh veggies, hay and rabbit chow and human companions that live at his beck & call.  Some say he is spoiled.  I like to think of him as “overly indulged”.  How could one possibly "spoil" a rabbit like Chip?     

A great gardening link!

http://sharonlovejoy.com/CultivatingWonder/Home.html

Meet Chip

This .... is.... Chip.  How can you not love a face like that?  How can you not love a baby bunny that fit in the palm of your hand when you were first introduced?  Chip is now almost 3 years old, he's only slightly grown into those large hind feet.  They kind of grew with him.   They are advantageous in that he can jump into the kitchen garbage pail in a single bound.  Welcome to Chip's Clips... life from a bunny perspective.  He's more than just vegetarian.  He's more than just cute and soft and a trash bin raider.  He's a companion and great fun.  He's a whole lot of personality stuffed into a small package.   He' stubborn, but loyal, pesky, but commits daily acts of cuteness.  I cannot imagine my house without him in it. 
     Chip shares my love of gardening.  Not that he gets out there and digs in the dirt with me, but he enjoys the fruits of my labors: carrot tops, herbs and the occasional strawberry.  He's a strict vegetarian & eagerly awaits each morning with anticipation of raiding the produce bin in the refrigerator.  The bin is clear and it's on the bottom shelf, so whenever the door opens he worms his way between my feet and the bin, stands there and looks longingly at whatever is inside.  Vigilance is required at all times; bags of carrots have been known to disappear if one isn't careful.  Did I mention, he is quick, too?  
     Today, as I was dressing a chicken to be roasted, I returned from the garden with parsley and thyme for the herb butter.  Chip has a discriminating and sensitive nose, so he instantly detected the scent of herbs.  Positioning himself conveniently (or inconveniently, depending on your perspective) underfoot, Chip waited for something to drop his way.  As I was preparing the herb butter he kept hopping back and forth, creating a tripping hazard, but it's his way of letting me know he is there, waiting & ready.  He's cute, but he's pesky.  As I was rubbing the herb butter on the chicken, he became increasingly insistent on receiving some herbs for himself and we almost tripped each other up.  As he sat on his haunches and began begging, shamelessly, a blop of herb butter splattered on his fur.  I reminded him to mind his manners or I'd be rubbing him with herb butter, instead of the chicken.  He failed to find this amusing, and hopped away, leaving me to finish the work on the chicken.  What a grump!
   Chip has forgiven me now; he sits at my feet roosting companionably as I type this blog entry.  Rabbits have short memories.